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One point which Hancock stated was that, while PSI enhancing influences - especially hallucinogenic drugs - may be associated with shamanic visions and extraordinary experiences, they are NOT an explanation for their content. Rather, he argued that they enable the mind to percieve/discern the presence of another aspect of reality. Much like opening up another sense, they allow perception of new information, rather than create a purely artifical fabrication of the mind.
This is very much in keeping with the Penrose/Hameroff model of consciousness, based upon the quantum model of the mind/brain. In this model, anything that enhances quantum behavior of the microtubular structures within the brain would promote PSI activity, opening/expanding the mind to experiences such as shamanic journeys and the ability to perceive otherwise-unnoticed anomalies within our world.
Hancock cited an analogy of a telescope enabling one to see the moons of Jupiter and other details of the heavens not visible to the naked eye. He argued that saying the DMT and corresponding brain activity explains the shamanic experience, rather than it being a perception of a different aspect of our universe, is like saying that the moons of Jupiter are merely a property of the lens arrangement of a telescope, not part of the universe itself.
Furthermore, DMT is just one way in which the mind can become open to altered-state perception. The death (NDE) experience, life trauma, deep meditative/spiritual practices, all can provide a window into other aspects of reality not available to the "waking" beta state of consciousness. The fact that different practices result in different experiences is roughly analogous to using different scientific instruments - or even pointing the telescope in different directions - resulting in a completely different set of observations.
I often ask the chicken-and-egg question of which comes first, psychic awakening or the close encounter experience. In fact, I suspect that each enhances eachother, for better or for worse. Along the same vein, another question is how a "hallucinogenic" explanation of UFO abduction would result in multiple witness sightings, radar detection of UFOs and ground traces (such as those in Evelyn's encounters described in The Cosmic Bridge). The conclusion is that the "DMT" model" does NOT fully explain the close encounter. Rather, I suspect that it simply makes one more sensitive to the presence of anomalies in our environment. Thus, we can better understand the experiencer's ability to see selectively visible (cloaked or stealthy) UFOs, the occurrence of paranormal fallout, and/or other corrolary phenomena. At the same time, in another article on reality anomalies in CE4 Cases, I describe UFO encounter cases in which multiple realities have appeared to co-exist at the same time. The Jungian idea of an overlay of realities seems to directly speak to our observations of the UFO abduction experience having both a psychic or dream-like aspect and a physical aspect. My own belief is that a full understanding of the UFO phenomenon, especially this reality-overlay issue, will bring with it a much deeper understanding of of our universe than we presently have.
So in short, while Hancock was not directly addressing the UFO experience, much of what he said can directly apply to that very experience. Studies of DMT and/or other PSI enhancing influences can directly add to our understanding of the anomalies that challenge our understanding of our universe and of reality, itself.
